Starting Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

He was recently married which, if nothing else, takes the stress of getting married off his shoulders.

And he’s probably hungry after the 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks were swept out of the playoffs by a team they’d beaten in six games a year earlier.

Which is all good, because the Mavs are dead in the water if Nowitzki stumbles out of the gates like he did last season. In January—the first full month of the strike-shortened season—Nowitzki averaged a mere 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 44.1 percent field goal shooting (via Yahoo! Sports).

He’s unlikely to repeat those numbers. But he’ll have to clear them by a large margin if the Mavericks hope to establish themselves as a playoff team in the West.

Starting Small Forward: Shawn Marion

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What you see is what you get with Shawn Marion. For better or for worse.

He’s a great defender, capable of bodying up small forwards and lighter power forwards. His intangibles are off the charts, but he was better suited to playing on the 2011-12 Mavs team, which didn’t lack offensive firepower.

The question will be whether the Mavericks have enough scoring to allow Marion to play his game. He’s at his best when he’s allowed to thrive as an opportunist on offense.

Starting Shooting Guard: Vince Carter

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Carter’s productivity took a nose-dive last season, when he averaged just 10.1 PPG and 41.1 percent from the field (via Yahoo! Sports). Both were career lows, and it’s fair to wonder whether the 35-year-old shooting guard will sink lower yet.

His athleticism is gone, his shot selection spotty as ever, and Carter, who’s suffered motivation issues his entire career, could check out if the Mavs stumble early.

Look for Vince to play somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 minutes per game, despite Dallas’ relatively thin backcourt.

Bench Power Forward/Center: Elton Brand

Brand can still play, and he’s a better fit for Dallas’ roster than he was Philadelphia’s.

For one, the Mavericks have no delusions about being a transition team. Brand will blend seamlessly with a squad that has more guile than youth and athleticism.

His game also complements Dirk’s in that he can be a presence in the paint on defense (2.0 blocks per 36 minutes in 2011-12) and step outside the paint on offense (45.6 percent shooting on jumpers 10-15 feet out).

Provided he can stay healthy, Brand will have a role—possibly a very important one if the Mavericks have a lengthy playoff run in them.

Bench Shooting Guard: OJ Mayo

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Analysts are treating next season as a “now or never” moment for Mayo. But if they’re expecting him to show the promise that he did as a highly-touted prep star, we can kill the suspense—the answer is “never”.

That said, there are things Mayo can do on this Mavericks team to establish himself as a starting-caliber contributor.

He can improve his efficiency: Mayo has had true shooting percentages of .499 and .531 in the last two seasons, respectively (via Basketball Reference).

He can become a better decision-maker in the pick-and-roll.

In a nutshell, he can use his time off the bench to do more than look for his own ill-advised shots.

He has it in him, and the Mavericks could be the team to bring it out. Erstwhile Maverick Jose Juan Barea is a testament to what head coach Rick Carlisle can do with a non-traditional scoring threat.

Bench Point Guard/Shooting Guard: Rodrigue Beaubois

Speaking of now or never, this may be the Mavericks’ last go ‘round with 6'2' combo guard Rodrigue Beaubois.

Which would be unfortunate. He has an incredible potential as a scorer, a facilitator and a defender.

But his confidence is about thimble deep, and Carlisle has lost faith in his development. Lest we forget, the NBA has almost infinite patience for big-man projects, but guards are shown the proverbial door if they don’t show consistent production in the first few years.

Unless Beaubois shows a remarkable turnaround, the Mavericks will dangle him in trades, once again, or simply let his rookie contract expire.

Bench Point Guard/Shooting Guard: Delonte West

He’s one of the league’s few “combo guards” for whom the moniker isn’t a slight; West plays both the point guard and shooting guard positions more than adequately.

He’s also a tough defender, which Dallas will sorely need in 2012-13; the Mavericks lack the scoring to beat teams with offensive prowess alone.

But skills are only part of the Delonte West package. His mental health is another and often bigger part. Here’s hoping West is in a position to make a solid contribution this season. For the team’s sake but more importantly his own.